Men’s Health Fair seeks to slow prostate cancer growth rate

The annual Men’s Health Fair, organised by the Jamaica Cancer Society’s (JCS’s) St Ann/St Mary branch, will take place on Sunday, May 31 at Turtle River Park in Ocho Rios, as the organisation seeks to reduce the incidence of prostate cancer in Jamaica.

The health fair, being staged in collaboration with the North East Regional Health Authority (NERHA), is aimed at men ages 40 and over and is free. It runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Figures on prostate cancer remain worrying, as the disease continues to be the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Jamaica.

Among men, prostate cancer accounts for 21 per cent of all cancer cases, while it is responsible for 43 per cent of all cancer-related deaths.

Recent figures suggest there are more than 1,500 new cases annually, equivalent to approximately 79 out of every 100,000 men developing the disease.

The JCS, using the theme ‘Men’s Health is Our Priority’, emphasises early detection as key to survival.

It is recommended that men over 40 begin screening, which is done through the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test and Digital Rectal Exam (DRE).

However, stigma has created fear among men, leading to hesitancy in undergoing screening.

Tests to be conducted include PSA and DRE screening, blood sugar testing, HIV testing, cholesterol testing and blood pressure checks, among others. Persons may contact the Jamaica Cancer Society  St Ann/St Mary branch at 876-974-2790 for more information.

-Carl Gilchrist